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Former U.S. Army Reserve Employee Sentenced in Wire Fraud and Theft Scheme

Department of JusticeOffice of Public AffairsTuesday, September 24, 2019FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Former U.S. Army Reserve Employee Sentenced in Wire Fraud and Theft Scheme

A former U.S. Army Reserve employee was sentenced today to 18 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release on charges of wire fraud and theft of government money as part of a scheme to steal more than $400,000 from the 63rd Regional Support Command at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

Ramon Torry, 55, of Irvine, California, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman in the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, who also ordered Torry to pay restitution in the amount of $302,982.29 and forfeiture the same amount.

According to admissions that he made during his guilty plea, Torry devised a scheme to steal money from the 63rd Regional Support Command related to a contract for the creation of a Public Service Announcement (PSA) touting the Command’s accomplishments. In February 2016, Torry began creating fake invoices for work allegedly performed by the Calfornia production company for the production of the PSA as well as for training and other services that were never performed. Torry then directed others in the Command to make payments to the company contracted to produce the PSA by both government purchase card and wire payments. Between December 2015 and October 2017, Torry directed payments from the 63rd to the production company totaling more than $414,000. He then directed Person A at the company to kick back more than $300,000 of those funds to Torry, which he converted to his own use and that of others.

The General Services Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command investigated the case. Trial Attorney Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section is prosecuting the case. Assistant United States Attorney Marissa Harris from the Northern District of California has provided assistance with the case.

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